PAUL VALENTINE

I WOULD LIKE TO INTRODUCE TO THE BARBER COMMUNITY PAUL VALENTINE WHO HAS BECOME AN ACTIVE BUSINESS PARTNER AT THE CUTTHROAT JOURNAL AND THE BARBER EXPO. PAUL HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN THE INDUSTRY FOR A LONG TIME - MOSTLY IN GLOBAL SALES ROLESAND WE ARE EXCITED TO USE HIS SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE TO BRING THE JOURNAL BACK TO ITS LEADING POSITION IN OUR MEDIA SPACE. PLEASE READ A LITTLE ABOUT PAUL’S JOURNEY.

I have had extensive experience in the retail, Business to Customer (B to C) and Business to Business (B to B) sectors.

My most significant journeys originated in NZ, where I’m from (I’m a proud Kiwi), where I launched the very well-known brand GHD in 2003. As the exclusive distributor for NZ, my business expanded the brand quickly and we won awards for best customer service in the industry, which was very pleasing. We developed a very healthy circulation network and per head of capita were the most successful distributor at the time. Our time ended with the brand in 2007 when the owners decided to go direct and change the entire model of distribution.

I then started working with another success story when NZ launched Michael Hill Jewellers. Starting as a Regional Manager overseeing the South Island and Wellington areas, I was lucky enough to travel regularly to some of the most beautiful places on earth and work with amazing people.

Michael Hill Jewellers is the most retail and sales driven business I’ve ever been a part of. Sales management systems, performance coaching and a culture that drove success through achievement. It was a time of great personal growth for me, and I loved every minute of it.

My region won the award for best financial performance across the group (AU, NZ, Canada and the US) and achieved a full year budget for the first time in 10 years. On the back of that success, I was asked to move to Australia where I took up a position running the Victorian sector that was underperforming at the time. With a new market, despite many challenges, we were able to turn around the result within a year and hit budget as well as improve profits dramatically.

After a move to NSW to lead and correct that division, I landed the promotion to Retail General Manager in the group for Australia. Managing a staff of over 600, including 5 regional managers, HR department, training department, 103 retail shops and a combined revenue of $165 million. No small task!

Involved in all advertising/marketing directions, I assisted in TV ad content, catalogue content and hero product developments, so I was able to support the many levels of the business that drove sales across the retail group.

My team was able to hit financial year budgets and profit targets for the first time, which was extremely pleasing and of course as this is a publicly listed company it helped drive very healthy share prices for all stakeholders.

I left the business 6 years ago after a massive restructure where they cut the executive team right back across all countries, but what an experience I had there!

I then moved back into the hair industry with Barber Brands International, where I was the national sales manager.

It was a refreshing change and certainly not the corporate lifestyle I had been living, but equally rewarding. Working with a smaller business to grow market share and provide a more meaningful customer experience was such fun and I really enjoyed my time with this company.

However, the need to do my own thing was weighing heavily on my mind as I was seeing many opportunities that were not being filled, especially as the market conditions changed with price increases at all points of importing and manufacturing.

Hence, the birth of Tarakona Brand Agency, where we support predominantly Australian brands in the market. There are so many amazing brands that don’t have the vehicle to get to market in a concise way, and so it was time to support those which had a point of difference and also weren’t too expensive for the industry to adopt. While this was taking place, I entered into business with Sean to run and operate The Cutthroat Journal, and also to relaunch The Barber Expo, an exciting proposition and one that has increased my exposure and knowledge of the local market more than ever.

I am proud to be a part of this team and the reintroduction of the Journal back into market. There are so many amazing, passionate businesses across Australia in this industry and we hope to be a part of many of their journeys.

We are different- not so trade focused, so the read is diverse, covering lifestyle, mental health, charities, tattoo, and anything else we deem to be associated with our incredible industry. Your customers will enjoy the read as much as you do and that’s also important to us. The Expo is a chance to collaborate, network and bring people and the industry together. We need to step this up and embrace what we all have to offer. We want to be a vehicle of collaboration and showcasing the next generation of talent, so it’s an exciting and sometimes challenging ride, but one I love.

I look forward with anticipation and open eyes to the next steps with the Journal and Expo and I hope that you join us wherever we go, as you have such an influence on our direction.